"No vacant beds available for Covid-19 patients at ICU and Covid wards" -- reads the sign hanging in front of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital's (MMCH) emergency department.

With the number of Covid-19 patients on the rise, the hospital has been struggling to tackle the situation for quite some time now.

Hospital authorities recently increased the number of Covid beds from 210 to 500, but this still wasn't enough. As of yesterday, the number of admitted patients at the hospital was 580. Unable to find an empty bed, many patients were seen being treated on the floor.

In the last 24 hours till 8am yesterday, 30 people died at the hospital. Of them, 16 died of Covid-19, while 14 had Covid symptoms, said Dr Mohiuddin Khan Moon, focal person of MMCH corona unit.

Besides, the hospital's ICU beds remain at capacity due to the onrush of critical patients, said MMCH deputy director Dr Md Wayezuddin Farazi.

Though the number of ICU beds has increased from 20 to 25 after an industrialist from Bhaluka donated five beds on August 1, the number is still inadequate to deal with the situation.

According to hospital sources, Covid-19 positive patients and people with symptoms are thronging the hospital from Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Tangail, Sherpur, Netrakona, Kishoreganj, Sunamganj and Gazipur.

The deputy director said the number of patients at the 500-bed Covid ward has started to exceed its capacity since August 1. With the onrush of patients, there is also a crisis of oxygen supply at the hospital, he said.

"The hospital has a 10,000-litre central oxygen facility and we have already appealed to the director general (health) and health ministry to increase it to 20,000," he said.

"We cannot increase the number of beds now as it will require more medical, cleaning and security staff," he said.

Amid the situation, the hospital authorities have urged people to take their patients to nearby hospitals in case of emergency.

Contacted, Mymensingh divisional director (health) Md Shah Alam said there are 20 Covid beds in each of the 30 upazila health complexes in the division.

Besides, a 50-bed corona unit was opened at Community Based Medical College and Hospital Bangladesh where 12 Covid patients are currently admitted, he said.

Prof Motiur Rahman Bhuiyan, president of Bangladesh Medical Association (Mymensingh), said work for two field hospitals with over 200 beds is also ongoing in Muktagachha and Tarakanda to reduce the pressure on MMCH.

The number of total deaths at MMCH stands at 616. Of them, 245 died of Covid-19 infections while 371 with symptoms since July 1 till yesterday. 

According to the health department in Mymensingh, 437 people have died of Covid-19 in the division so far. A total of 591 people tested Covid positive yesterday, raising the total number of infected people to 29,445 since the pandemic.